Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's impassioned support has made Russia a favourite to host a the 2018 World Cup. However, questions abound over the availability of infrastructure to host the event.
'The Left is dying, but its economic ideology rules, unchallenged.' 'Modi is its newest standard-bearer.' 'Even in today's bitterly polarised politics, if there is one thing on which not just the BJP and Congress, but all other parties agree, it is that socialist economics is the only way to survive,' says Shekhar Gupta.
The US has all along interfered in India-China issues. The objective is clear: Bring the Sino-Indian standoff to a flashpoint that would compel Modi government to take shelter under an American umbrella, argues Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Nearly eight out of 10 Chinese, who took part in a national poll said they believe China should stay on the path of political reform while according top priority to stability to avert a collapse similar to that of the erstwhile Soviet Union in 1991.
President Dmitry Medvedev has ordered a radical restructuring of the Russian armed forces command system with an aim to reform the Soviet-era military behemoth into a 'lean but mean' force capable of fighting the modern network centric warfare. The decree signed by Medvedev also aims to reform the logistic support system of the armed forces.
Taking a swipe at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh a day after the Cabinet reshuffle, senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader L K Advani on Thursday said the Congress president enjoys more importance than the PM and everyone now agrees that he is a 'weak PM'.
A top American military commander headed for Afghanistan on Tuesday said he would not be surprised by links between Pakistan's spy agency Inter State Intelligence and Islamist extremist organisations, who have established a safe haven in Pakistan's restive tribal region.
The US president alleged that the countries were not doing enough in the war-ravaged country and that they were taking advantage of the United States.
'The logical step is to challenge the very legitimacy of the Chinese claim over Tibet,' recommends Inspector General Gurdip Singh Uban (retd).
'And this mirror imaging is the most dangerous thing because it leads to tremendous misunderstandings.'
NASA said it is looking forward to explore the solar system with its Indian counterpart.
"If there had been any pride left in our leaders, they would have responded appropriately and nobody would have dared to say such things in the first place," Khan told Newsweek.
In a time of crisis like this, a government needs its people and politics united. A nation of India's size and diversity can't fight a stronger rival with fraying social cohesion, observes Shekhar Gupta.
Factbox on former International Olympic Committee president Juan Antonio Samaranch, who died on Wednesday at the age of 89.
'It is for the first time in 70 years that the US has come out totally in India's favour on the Kashmir issue,' says Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
'It was India's good fortune to have a Vajpayee lead the government at this crucial moment in history.' 'By taking the N-decision he saved future generations of Indians from being 'Kosovoed' or 'Iraqed',' says Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
It's not easy to be a spy. The job requires a unique set of skills, including mastery of a wide range of gadgets and devices. Now, at the new Spyscape museum in New York, one can not only experience what being a 007 spy entails, but also learn about the history of espionage.
As the Soviet achievements keeping the Russian economy afloat are waning, President Dmitry Medvedev, on Thursday, sought an urgent modernisation of the country, insisting that it should happen "through democratic values and institutions".
The Rio Olympics will be the eighth Games for Georgian shooter Nino Salukvadze, but it will be the first time when she will be joined by a very special team mate - her own son.
'If Islamic extremists regain power in Afghanistan, Pakistan will lead them to Kashmir as a fighting arena again. India needs to fortify Kashmir and prepare against these Islamic extremists before they come again.'
'Indian diplomacy faltered amidst multiple failures of statecraft.' 'The functionaries responsible must be held to account for their abject failure,' asserts Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
'His negotiations with Idi Amin and his men for compensation for the Indians, who left Uganda, were particularly tough. Apparently, Amin warned him that the body of the British negotiator, who came earlier, was found in a roadside gutter... As Jagat Mehta's special assistant during the last two years of his tenure as foreign secretary, I saw for myself how his conviction, courage and patriotism enabled him to fight against heavy odds, says Ambassador T P Sreenivasan.
India has maintained that there can be no talks with Pakistan unless it stops supporting terrorists.
The United States triumphed 3-2 following a remarkable sudden-death shootout after the teams finished level at 2-2 after overtime in a thrilling Winter Olympics preliminary game.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday wrapped up his two-day visit to Russia, during which the two nations signed 16 pacts to expand cooperation in various sectors.
List of French Open women's singles champions:
While we have to hiss loudly and do the lunging bit to keep our foes on their toes, that's only a tactical matter. What is the strategic goal? What is the end game? In my opinion, there is only one possible end game: the unwinding of Pakistan into several pieces: Balochistan, Sind, Balawaristan (Gilgit, Baltistan, the rest of PoK), the Pashtun area Khyber Pakhtunwa which will merge with Afghanistan, and the rump Punjab, says Rajeev Srinivasan.
'1998-1999 was the only year in the last quarter century that India had net-negative foreign investment.' 'Foreign money ran away from India that year because capital is a coward and does not like uncertainty of the sort produced by such casual treatment of a destructive technology,' says Aakar Patel.
If he doesn't, two things are guaranteed: Failure for him, and continued slide for his nation despite its talented people, strong nationalism, the gift of geography and a formidable army, points out Shekhar Gupta.
'China is likely to help Pakistan in keeping the fire burning in J&K to bleed India for its own interests.' A fascinating excerpt from Lieutenant General K Himalay Singh's Making of a General: A Himalayan Echo.
The retreating Pakistani troops were heading towards Dacca and they had to be stopped at all costs. The Eastern Army Commander, in his orders to General Sagat Singh, had reiterated that he did not want the troops of 4 Corps to cross the Meghna river. But General Sagat had other plans to threaten Dacca and ensure that the pressure would make the Pakistani commanders capitulate. This is where the IAF helicopters came in.
'Till date there have been 482 accidents on account of failure of this aircraft and 171 IAF pilots have lost their lives.'
'The travesty of recent Indian strategic thought is it emerges not from our brains, but from whatever part of the anatomy that secretes the prickliest hormones,' says Shekhar Gupta.
Belgium and France meet in the World Cup semi-final at the Saint Petersburg Stadium on Tuesday.
Despite taking strong military action against militants in recent months, the Pakistani establishment has maintained relationship with those extremist groups as a hedge, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates has said.
It is equipped with new air defence, anti-missile, anti-ship and anti-submarine weapons.
'2020 will show whether India's troubled domestic economic and political house reveals a mismatch in their strategic association or whether closer strategic ties are yet possible,' says Anita Inder Singh.
Taking on the government in Parliament a second time in three days Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday attacked the government on the issue of net neutrality.
Charlie Wilson, the flamboyant Congressman from Texas who directed millions of dollars in covert funding to help mujahideens including Osama Bin Laden fight the Soviet troops in Afghanistan in the 1980s, died last week in Texas. He was 76 and was ailing with heart problems.Wilson had said that had India joined the Americans in opposing the Soviets in Afghanistan, India would have been able to impress its own Muslim population. New Delhi missed a golden opportunity to win.
Jalaluddin Haqqani was closely tied to Al Qaeda leaders and had played a key role in supporting the terror group in both Afghanistan and Pakistan.
